'My signature was forged', Kumaraswamy says as Lokayukta seeks prosecution sanction in mining case

Bengaluru, Aug 21 (IANS) Claiming that his signature had been forged in papers granting permission to a firm for mining activities, Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy on Wednesday, while reacting to the Karnataka Lokayukta's move to seek prosecution sanction against him, said that will tackle the matter legally. 

Speaking to the media here on Wednesday, H.D. Kumaraswamy said: "The Congress government in Karnataka is targeting me out of envy because I am a Union Minister. They are bringing up an old, long-forgotten case and are trying to implicate me in a matter where my signature doesn't even appear.

"I haven't granted even a pin-sized area to Sai Venkateshwara Minerals Company. They haven't carried out any mining activities, the Central government has not even given them permission, and the state exchequer has not lost a single paisa. Given these facts, how can prosecution permission be sought from the Governor?" the Union Minister questioned.

"I'm not someone who will run away and get scared of the conspiracy that the state government has hatched against me. I will also fight it legally. In the Sai Venkateshwara Minerals case, I will engage in a legal battle. In such situations, one must resort to the law. We must bow to the law of the land," he added.

"The Congress leaders, who had been silent all this time, have now woken up. They cannot tolerate that I'm a Union Minister. How long does it take the Lokayukta Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate? I approached the court in 2014. Do they need this much time to investigate? They have taken not just my signature but also my handwriting for verification. Let them investigate wherever they want," the Union Minister challenged.

"The Congress leaders made a big fuss about 21 scams committed by BJP leaders. They couldn't prove even one. Now, they are struggling to revive a 'dead case' against me. If they want, they can even try a live case," he said.

H.D. Kumaraswamy said that the Sai Venkateshwara documents were not in his handwriting.

"All this happened on October 6, 2007. That is not my signature... I don't know who signed it. I haven’t given land to that company. I don't know who has committed fraud. I became aware only after learning that Rs 20 lakh had been transferred to an official's son's account by the company. Why are you dragging the Governor and the Central government into this?

"Someone is now claiming that they have taken out the document showing that I signed the Sai Venkateshwara file. Did you investigate which document I signed? Did the SIT investigate? Does the government know what all illegal activities have taken place?

"It wasn't the SIT or the police who discovered the transfer of Rs 20 lakh to an official's son's bank account. I was the one who discovered it. I could have buried this Sai Venkateshwara case long ago. I could have shut it down in 2011-12 when I was heading the government with the Congress. It would have taken just two seconds to close it.

"The CM and his team are digging into my information. But, regarding granting permission for illegal mining, CM Siddaramaiah's scale is colossal. I have all the related documents," said H.D. Kumaraswamy, holding an envelope filled with documents, during the press conference.

"In 2015, criminals who were nabbed for stealing seized iron ore in Belekere port were granted mining permission by CM Siddaramaiah. In other words, they gave mining permissions to the gangs that cheated the state government in crores. He is claiming there's only one case against him. But there are many scams involving the Chief Minister," he said.

"I won’t release these documents now. I will release them at an appropriate time. Because there are many who are experts in tampering with documents around the Chief Minister," H.D. Kumaraswamy said.

"Although the Jantakal and mining bribe cases were quashed in the High Court, permission was granted for an investigation into the Sai Venkateshwara controversy. I challenged it and approached the Supreme Court. In 2017, the Supreme Court ordered that the investigation report should be submitted within three months. But the investigation wasn't completed in three months. The final report hasn't been submitted. How many years has it been now? Isn't this a violation of the court order?" Kumaraswamy questioned.